Retired grade school teacher, teacher librarian, and traditionally published writer focuses on reviewing picture books with some MG, YA, and Adult. Reading to/with children, writing for children, and more.

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Who Wants to Be a Dwarf? (Recycled Sundays)

My children have reached the age when they largely make their own Halloween costumes themselves. I greet this independence with mixed feelings.

When they were tiny, a major summer project was the construction of their Halloween outfits. I transformed my offspring into every creature of fantasy I would’ve loved as a child. My daughter, who had long, curly, blonde hair, made an adorable tooth fairy, complete with silver wings, and embroidered pouch for teeth, and a sparkling wand. My son, made a perfect little baby Smurf in his stroller. This is not to say they were putty in my hands. Their plans did not always agree with my plans.

I remember the summer I sewed my fingers to the bone. I’m barely adequate with the sewing machine, preferring the pace and size of hand-stitched projects. But, this year I outdid myself. Since the children were beginning to assert their independence about costumes, I decided to make a special one for myself. I use a pattern and created the Disney Snow White costume. For me, it was less than simple to construct those dual-colored pleat-like see sleeves, but I did it. It was too good to be true. The only thing that would make it better would be if my two kids would dress as dwarves.

My son was adamant. No way was he going to dress like Sneezy or Happy. The older he got, the more ghoulish his costumes were becoming. He went from a cute, tawny lion to a bloody vampire in just four years. He’d been a Smurf when he was too young to protest, but no one was sticking a goofy white hat on his head again. My daughter simply laughed in my face and explained her plans to be a bare shouldered, elegant Greek goddess.

“But, it would be fun,” I protested. “We could all sing hi, ho, hi, ho when we went trick-or-treating.”

My daughter patted my arm with that soothing gesture which means, you’re losing it again mom, but we still love you. What was the big deal? I wasn’t going to make them mine for diamonds.

Under my influence, my daughter dressed as the sun one year. Her gown was blue with quilted, puffy clouds and an appliqué rainbow. On her head was an enormous silver circle, highlighted by gold pipe cleaners shaped into rays, with her face in the middle. She carried an enormous golden fan. Unfortunately, this costume was beyond most people. By bedtime, she was sick of going sideways through doors and of explaining that she was neither Rainbow Brite nor the Statue of Liberty. The next year she dressed as a bat.

My son’s costumes have become more questionable with time. At age three, he was the traditional blue and black Batman, the kind who would not drop a bomb if there were ducks in the vicinity. Until he turned eight, he was not allowed to play with toy weapons. In fact, the neighborhood kids all had to disarm before coming into our yard. It was a lot like entering an area protected by the United Nations. All the boys dropped their swords, guns, rifles, knives, and ammunition belts in a pile by our front gate. They would race inside to play on the climber or kick the soccer ball around, then they would run back out, rearming as they went. I think this made Halloween fascinating for my son. Weapons could become part of his costume.

At age 4 he was Peter Pan (with a small dagger), then a crusader (with a sword and shield), then an executioner (with an ax, obviously), and then a Ninja Turtle (with weapons beyond my understanding). This year he wants to be a cowboy with two guns and a knife in his boot. I guess the chance to dress him as a hobbit has passed.

November 1, 1992

Released in 2012, in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this book tells the fascinating story of the making of Walt Disney’s groundbreaking animated classic. More than 250 artworks, including rarely seen concept sketches, background paintings, and cels illustrate the genius of Walt Disney and the creative vision of the artists who produced a beloved milestone in cinematic history.

Sneezy, Dopey, Doc, Grumpy… all your favorite characters are here with Snow White to help little ones recreate the familiar story – or create a new one of their own! Perfectly sized for little hands to hold! Includes Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy, Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Doc & Bashful.